I told you last week about the young lady, Debbie O’Neal, in our church who had been fighting a losing battle with cancer for about two years. The pastor’s wife and I were to take dinner to the little family that night.

About 4 p.m. Debbie’s husband, Scott, called and said she was having a bad day and probably didn’t need visitors, so the preacher’s wife, Judy, offered to deliver the food. I didn’t go.

Well, about 2 a.m., Debbie died. They have two little boys ages 10 and 12.

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The next time you meet with your financial advisor, you may want to discuss new ways to manage your portfolio. For instance, one increasingly popular option among individual investors is managed accounts.

A way to tap into resources traditionally reserved for the very largest investors such as pension funds, endowments and high-net-worth investors, these accounts offer access to a variety of portfolios and asset classes not ordinarily available to individual investors.

One point that raises curiosity or, for reasons I don’t quite understand, even occasional disbelief and hostility is that not all blind people are totally blind. Many people using canes, dogs or Braille have some remaining sight. In fact, only a small percentage of blind people are totally blind.

You may already know where you want to spend your retirement years — a small beachfront town, perhaps, or within the heart of your favorite city. But one thing that tends to escape some soon-to-be retirees’ minds is what that living space will look like. Do you still need a 3,000-square-foot home with five bedrooms, or would an upscale townhome better suit your retirement lifestyle? Here are some important considerations for all empty-nesters and retirees when determining whether to downsize in retirement.